


Fates Intertwined

by Geeqad



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Roleswap, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24438859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geeqad/pseuds/Geeqad
Summary: Sumire Yoshizawa was accused of a crime she didn't commit, and must now make a new life at a new school. However, her fate does not only affect herself - another's life, as well as their power, is directly linked to her own. How will she handle this new set of circumstances? Roleswap!AU
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	Fates Intertwined

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5 Royal.

\--

“…you are held captive.” A gentle, mysterious voice echoed through the silence of her psyche. “A prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance.” The voice, indisputably feminine, sounded sombre, full of regret.

“This is truly an unjust game…” She continued, the image of a small, blue butterfly gliding through an empty void flashing across the unconscious girl’s mind. “Your chances of winning are almost none. But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…” Her voice sounded resolute, completely lacking in any tones of deception or underlying motive.

“I beg you. Please overcome this game, and save the world.” Her request was plain and clear, speaking as though the grandiose task set was obvious, needing to be done, and not just a selfish request. “The key to victory lies within the memories of your bonds – the truth that you and your friends grasped.”

She paused, as though she realised how unrealistic this request would seem to the person in question. “For the sake of your world’s future…” She continued, her voice strained, the occasional sound of panting seeping through as she struggled. “…as well as your own… you must remember…”

\--

Gasping herself awake, Sumire grasped onto her blazer, holding it tightly as she desperately tried to get her breathing under control, her eyes squinting in the sudden burst of sunlight as the train emerged from the tunnel, doing nothing to soothe her suddenly frazzled nerves. Her breathe was short, feeling like a knife was running across her ribs, her fingers digging deeper into her chest, as though fighting something that wasn’t there.

As the train re-entered another tunnel, she felt her pulse slow, her breathing finally coming back under control, closing her eyes as she let out a small sigh.

‘Captive? Game?’ She thought to herself, gently lifting her left hand to her brow as she wiped the cold sweat away, feeling her hands shake as she did so. ‘Memories of my bonds? Remember?’ The memories of that vision in her dreams continuously ran through her mind, desperately trying to decipher some hidden meaning, her teeth gritting as her right hand continued to tighten its grip on her blazer. ‘What could any of that mean? What game? What bonds?’ She scowled at the floor, scanning her mind for anything she might’ve forgotten, but found nothing.

Sighing, she let her right hand fall to her side, planting her elbow on her knee, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, looking out the window directly across from her. She was fortunate enough to get a seat on the train, having heard horror stories about how insanely packed the Tokyo subway could be. Glancing at her watch, broken and dysfunctional as it was, she noted that it was only 3:05pm, just slightly after some schools would’ve let the kids go for the day, which likely would’ve been the key reason for so few people on the train.

‘School, huh?’ She thought to herself, letting her mind wander. From Monday, only two days away, she’d be transferring to an entirely new school. All because of a stupid mistake she’d made only a few months prior.

No, it wasn’t a mistake. She’d done the right thing! It was just that justice had decided to be rather unjust, taking the side of a rotten adult, rather than the one person who’d decided to do the right thing. 

She furrowed her brow, recalling the memory of the incident, the drunken man assaulting a woman, Sumire clenching her fists as she stepped forward, only for the drunkard to fall and injure himself.

“Damn brat… I’ll sue!” He had yelled, blood streaming down his face, his hand fiercely gripping his head.

It hadn’t been long after that that the police arrived, the glare of the flashing lights causing the assailant’s face to be blurred in her memory, leaving only a garbled mess of a human, supported by the very pursuers of justice that had taken Sumire in, permanently branding her with a criminal record for ‘doing the right thing.’

Sumire scowled at the floor, gritting her teeth. That wasn’t justice, it couldn’t have been! Justice was supposed to do what was right, not brand someone who was doing the objectively right thing as a criminal!

The vibrant redheaded girl snapped out of her stupor as the train announcer flared up. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for riding with us today.” A cheerful, feminine voice echoed over the speakers. Many of the passengers simply ignored it, evidently used to the noise of the train from the daily commute. “We will be arriving in Shibuya shortly,” She continued, “This is the last stop for this line, please transfer here for all subway lines.”

Sighing once more, she stood up and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She’d been told the directions to where she was to be staying for the next year before her parents had shipped her off like a package, never to be seen or cared for again.

“What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?”

That wasn’t something you heard every day, Sumire’s interest having been piqued by the topic. She glanced over to the other end of the carriage, seeing a couple of girls, evidently from a different school to the one that she herself would be transferring to in a few days, gossiping.

“It’s the truth!” The ponytailed girl declared as her friend laughed it off.

“To a person though? That’s gotta be a joke.” The first girl spoke once more, lifting her hand to her mouth to cover her laughter. “You really love all that occult stuff, don’t you?” She finished with another laugh, this time her friend joining in.

‘Mental shutdowns?’ Sumire thought to herself as she moved towards the door, getting ready to disembark, her fingers tightening on her bag strap. ‘What on Earth could they be talking about?’ She decided to brush it off, deciding it was something that was common knowledge in the urban hotspit of Tokyo, and not so well known outside of said area.

As the mechanical doors to the train opened, Sumire was initially caught off guard by the sheer onslaught of people awaiting the arrival of the mechanised beast, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the many tens of hundreds of people, some dressed in similarly black suits whilst others dressed in comfortable wear suitable for an outing, all with particularly grumpy faces, as though emphasising the mundanity of their task awaiting them.

Loosening her grip on her bag, she stepped forward, head down as she gently pushed through the crowd, the occasional grunt from the travellers as she passed. Finally escaping the crowd, she gasped for air, having felt like a vice-like grip on her chest had been alleviated. Stepping forward, she saw the ticket scanner awaiting her. As she fumbled into her bag, she pulled out her train pass – freshly administered for her arrival in Tokyo – before scanning it, hearing a gentle ‘beep’ in confirmation as she passed through the gate. Sliding the pass into her pocket for the time being, knowing she would need to use it once more in the near future, she took in the sight before her – a long, relatively narrow hallway, completely bustling with people as they came and went, going about their business.

She glanced upwards as a sign caught her eye. ‘Central plaza’, it read, with an arrow pointing towards her right. As she looked in said direction, she noticed a stairway heading downwards, with a faint draft coming from the bottom of said stairs, before glancing in the opposite direction, seeing a dead end. Stepping forth with her right foot – her dominant side – she headed towards her supposed destination. She’d been told by her parents, right before they’d abandoned her like an unwanted piece of rubbish, that she’d need to take the line from the Shibuya subway to Yongen-Jaya, and then from there, find the residence of someone named Sakura.

Even her directions were half-assed, she smirked as she began descending the stairs, her left hand running along the railing as she maintained her grip on her bag with her right. She had to stop herself from biting her lip in frustration, still completely in shock of how her parents had effectively abandoned her. Even in the trail, they’d done nothing to help her, completely leaving her to the wolves to save their own hides.

Reaching the bottom of the first flight of stairs, a familiar sight met her – the accessway in front of her was rather similar to the one directly above it, but she could see that this one didn’t end with a dead end, unlike the last. The first thing that truly stood out to her was the sheer volume of students, all wearing similar or identical uniforms to her own, that were funnelling out of another platform exit, largely similar to the one she’d exited only moments prior.

She looked around too see if there was another sign to assist her in finding where she needed to go, much like the last one, but to no such luck. Cursing under her breath, she pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her eyes before deciding to continue down the stairs, following where the vast majority of students similarly seemed to be heading. She blended in well with them, only standing out due to her vibrant read hair. She could feel the gaze of several people on her, the occasional murmur and overhearing the general chatter arising from such a crowd.

Following the stream of students, Sumire found herself audibly gasping as she descended the stairs, heading outside. It was unmistakably Shibuya central plaza, she recognised it from having seen it on television many times in the past few years, particularly during campaign season for the election of the next ruling party. Whilst she’d cared little about politics in the past, with there not being too much to do in her hometown, Sumire frequently found herself watching TV, even when she had no interest in what was actually being shown. As such, her general knowledge of current events was, in her opinion, rather high, especially compared to her peers.

Or rather, those who had been her peers.

She sighed, stepping out into the sunny plaza. She was nearly blown away by just how many people there were. Whilst there were a lot of people awaiting the train she’d arrived on, the sheer number of persons swarming the mere one hundred metres in front of her comfortably dwarfed that number, and it seemed like they just kept coming. How so many people could live alongside one another was almost a mystery to her.

She pulled out her phone, still keeping her eye on the crowd before her, hoping she wasn’t late for the next train. Undoing the lock without so much as a passing glance, her eyes continued to wander, seeing the various students, those who she would call her schoolmates walk by her, very few even sparing a look in her direction. The sheer vastness of Shibuya was almost mesmerising to the redhead, to the point where she struggled to look away.

Her phone beeped loudly, causing her to look down at the device now held within the palm of her left hand. On her home screen, a new app, unlike any she’d seen before, had suddenly appeared, and looked to be pulsating. It looked somewhat like an eyeball, the pupil being oddly shaped like a star, the vibrant red and black colour scheme seeming to echo outwards across her screen as she watched it pulsate, almost like a human heart.

With one final pulsation, the app suddenly seemed to grow, engulfing the entire screen of her smartphone, like a virus overtaking its’ prey. Her eyes widened as she witnessed the action, it being completely alien to her. Never in her life had she ever heard of any app that did anything like this. She tapped at the screen, right in the centre of the eyeball, expecting some kind of reaction, but to no avail – the eye remained in place, even as she continued to tap away at it. The red background upon which the logo was plastered now seemed to be moving, radiating outwards from the symbol itself, flowing like blood fresh from a wound. She scowled for a moment, thinking to herself that she must’ve somehow gotten a virus.

“I see, well…” A passing businessman spoke on the phone – a normal thing for the middle of the city, and something Sumire would normally not pay attention to in the slightest. However, what had caught her attention was how he seemed to slow his words before coming to a stop, alongside his entire being. Sumire gasped in shock – unless this man was a master mime, there was no way that was normal. As she looked around, however, she could see that something unnatural was happening – everyone in Shibuya, including the various animals such as dogs, cats and pigeons, had all come to a complete halt.

All except Sumire.

There was no sound. The loud hustle and bustle of the city was now an eerie silence. There was nothing – no noise of the wind blowing, no animals or movement in the distance.

Only a sense of dread, which completely filled Sumire’s soul.

She continuously looked in circles, desperately trying to understand what on Earth was happening. This couldn’t just be a thing caused by the differences between the big city and the boonies, this was something supernatural.

Then, suddenly, a bolt of movement caught her eye.

There, at the entryway to the subway system, a bold, blue flame towered above the frozen citizens. Even from this distance, Sumire could feel no heat from the vibrant fire, instead finding some familiarity or solace in the way that it emitted from its spot. It felt as though she was looking into a part of herself, long forgotten but never ignored, for how little sense that made.

Somehow, the blaze began to take shape – a shape wildly similar to that of a person moulded, the form shaking briefly for a moment before becoming clearer. The distinct body shape… even with how the blue blaze continued to flicker wildly, it was unmistakably female, and appeared to be wearing something akin to a dress. Just after the shape was almost a solid object, it flared outwards, as if begging to be freed from some invisible prison. A wild smile grew across its face, yellow in colour, before the sudden vision of Sumire’s own face in the exact same expression, her brows furrowed with a cocky expression, the blue flames surrounding her entire being.

She gasped in fear, shutting her eyes to the sight before her, grasping her head as a sudden splitting headache set in, stepping backwards, resting against the wall. Her fingers clutched against her skull in a desperate attempt to alleviate the sudden pressure that was being exerted on her skull. It felt as though some kind of… beast was tearing at the walls of her brain, trying to find an escape route.

“Are you okay?” A gentle voice spoke out as someone calmly placed their hand on her shoulder, forcing her to open her eyes in shock. She recoiled away from the unfamiliar touch, swiping her right hand at her assailer.

“Get away!” Sumire screamed in terror, her hands continuously batting away at the unseen individual as she clenched her eyes shut, her body trembling in fear.

“I-it’s okay! I w-won’t hurt you!” The voice, clearly masculine, spoke. His voice was… almost soothing, there was a gentle kindness in his tone which couldn’t be masked by any underlying ill will.

She decided to trust in this kindness.

Holding her hands up to her face, Sumire slowly opened her eyes, flinching slightly from the burst of sunlight before her eyes adjusted, taking in the sight before her. The man who had been calling out to her appeared to be another student, but there was this gentle look to him. His black messy hair seemed to stand out almost erratically, and his eyes were masked by a pair of black framed glasses. Frankly, if Sumire was being blunt, he looked rather plain.

“I-I’m sorry!” She apologised profusely, bowing in front of him. “I-I didn’t h-hurt you, d-did I?”

“N-no, not at all!” He fumbled, taking a strand of his hair and playing with it nervously. “You looked like you were in pain, so I thought I better…” He paused, a small smile playing at his lips. “Well, you know how it went from there.” He chuckled half-heartedly.

“S-still!” Sumire spoke boldly, “You were just trying to help out, I shouldn’t have acted so rashly!” She finished, once again bowing deeply, her eyes shut tightly.

‘Wait a minute.’ A thought crossed Sumire’s mind, her eyes opening widely. ‘This person is moving…!’

She stood up straight, looking the young man directly in the eye. Indeed, he didn’t appear to be frozen like the rest of Shibuya was a moment ago. In fact, Shibuya itself seemed to be back to normal – the regular hustle and bustle was back to the way it was before that craziness happened. The regular echo of chatter throughout the city resumed, as the thousands of people went about their business.

“Water under the bridge.” The black-haired boy brushed it off, taking his right hand out of his pocket and waving it nonchalantly. “A-anyway, are you a Shujin student? I haven’t seen you around before.”

Sumire blinked. Shujin? What was that?

Evidently her confusion was visible on her face, as the gentle boy seemed to be panicking slightly at her reaction. “B-because! We both h-have the same uniform!” He explained, pointing to his own uniform before pointing towards hers.

Ah.

That made sense.

“I’ll be transferring in a couple days.” Sumire explained, not wanting to deceive this person who’d shown such kindness to a complete stranger. She took a moment to look at his uniform, spot any notable differences between the male and female counterparts. The most obvious difference was the lower half – both were made of the same type of tartan, but where the female uniform consisted of skirt and tights, the male uniform instead had trousers.

She also couldn’t help but notice how, on the collar of the young man’s shirt, there were three stripes, similarly shaped to those one would receive for outstanding merit in a military unit. Comparatively, Sumire’s own collar only had two stripes. It was a small detail, but it stood out to her. What could it mean? Additionally, it seemed that, from a passing glance at other Shujin students, the bow she was wearing on her own collar was an optional adornment.

“Ah, you’re a transfer student too?” He asked, implying that he himself was also a transfer student. Good to know that she wouldn’t be the only one. “Bit of an odd time to transfer though, isn’t it? The first semester has already started and all…”

“Yes, well…” Sumire started before her eyes widened for a moment, glancing at her phone. The weird app that seemed to cause that moment of complete stillness was still in the middle of her home screen, only minimised like the rest of her apps. But more importantly, she glanced at the time. “Oh, shoot! I’m going to be late for my next train!” She bowed to him for a moment before looking him once more in the eye. “Sorry, but do you know where the line to Yongen-Jaya is?”

“Yongen?” He echoed in surprise, “Ah, it’s down in the subway – you’ll want to head down to the lowest level.”

“Thank you!” She rushed off, racing down the stairs towards the subway, hoping that she didn’t miss the train.

‘I hope I wasn’t too rude by running off like that.’ Sumire thought to herself as she dashed, hopping down several stairs at a time. ‘Well, I suppose I’ll see him on Monday, so it’s not too big a deal.’

Pulling out her pass, she quickly swiped it across the scanner as she sped towards the train towards Yongen-Jaya, desperately hoping that she hadn’t missed it. As she loped down the last flight of stairs, she gave a sigh of relief, seeing that the subway train was still there, its doors open and waiting for her. As she entered, pushing herself in to get the closest thing to a space she could manage, she leaned against a nearby pillar, taking a moment to catch her breath.

As she panted, she pulled her phone out of her pocket once again, wanting to look at the map to see how long it would take to reach her destination and where she would need to get off so as to not miss her stop. There, in the middle of her home screen, just like before, was that weird app with the eye for a symbol. After how unnatural what had happened after it appeared, she decided she wasn’t going to take any chances. Tapping and holding on the icon, she noticed how it seemed to act just like any other application would, as it appeared to be ‘picked up’ by her action. Dragging it over to the bin icon, a small animation played of the app getting sucked into it, effectively deleting it. With that task complete, she slipped her phone into her pocket as she settled on for the remainder of her journey.

\--

The squeaking of the train’s brakes was a sure sign to Sumire that she’d arrived at her stop. As the doors opened, a voice sounded over the speaker, announcing that this was, indeed, Yongen-Jaya. Stepping out onto the concrete platform, she gasped for air. She’d been warned about the sweltering heat of the Tokyo subway system before, but she never imagined it could’ve been as bad as that.

On top of that, it was only early April! How bad could the heat get in the summer?

She blanched at the thought, adjusting her bag on her shoulder as she glanced around before falling in line with the rest of the commuters, heading towards the escalators that lead above ground, away from the roasting interior of the subway.

Riding the escalator upwards, she glanced at her watch once again. She wasn’t particularly interested in the time, if she were honest – it was just a nervous habit she’d picked up.

Especially after the events leading up ‘til now.

Stepping into the urban landscape, Sumire looked around, taking in the sight before her – honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that this area was clearly within a bustling cityscape, she’d say it was rather quaint. Many shops were very open and welcoming, with store clerks cheerfully calling out, inviting people in. Potted plants could be seen dotted around the area, and bikes were parked in assorted locations. It was hard to describe, but the atmosphere felt incredibly relaxing, homely even.

‘So, starting today, Sakura-san will be taking care of me, huh?’ She thought to herself, looking ahead. ‘His house should be in the backstreets around here, I guess.’ Sumire stepped forward with her right foot, her eyes wandering, absorbing the sights of the new area that she would be calling home for the next year. A small clinic hidden around a corner, a large building that looked rather like a movie theatre, a large block of flats, and so on. Scanning her eyes over the nameplates on the wall next to the entryway, she noted that Sakura-san’s name was no where to be found, meaning she would need to continue her search.

Continuing her way down the street, she stopped as she noticed a small alleyway behind the block of flats. It wasn’t particularly notable, outside of there being a road of some kind at the far end. However, that wasn’t what had caught her eye – there was a rather charming looking house, surrounded by a little wall, isolating itself. Having garnered her interest, she wandered down the street at a comfortable pace – she knew she should probably have been going a bit faster to meet her guardian, but frankly, she wasn’t bothered about that right now.

Arriving at the building in question, she noted the nameplate – ‘Sakura’. Evidently, she was in the right place, if luck was on her side. Pressing the doorbell on the wall, she could hear the chime ringing out from inside, feeling her fingers tighten into a fist as her nerves suddenly spiked. However, even after a couple of moments, there was not even the sound of someone moving within the structure.

‘Perhaps he’s gone out…’ Sumire thought to herself, feeling any tension from the previous moment wither away.

“Looks like no one’s home…” An unknown voice spoke up from Sumire’s left, causing her to jump slightly in surprise, her eyes widening as she turned towards the source of her shock. It was a rather friendly looking deliveryman, holding a parcel under his arm. “Oh yeah…” he muttered to himself, “Sakura-san’s usually at his café around this time.”

A café? Had there been anything like that around here?

“Well, Leblanc’s in the back alley, so I should make my other deliveries first…” The deliveryman continued talking to himself before turning back towards his delivery truck.

“Leblanc, huh…” Sumire uttered the name quietly. So, this ‘Sakura-san’ ran a café by the name of Leblanc… She desperately tried to picture the kind of person who would run a café under such a name.

To no avail.

Sighing once more – a bad habit she’d noticed she’d begun picking up on – she turned on her left heel, heading back the way she came. According to that deliveryman she’d incidentally eavesdropped on, Leblanc was located in the ‘back alley’, wherever that was. She thought the best way to go about that would be to retrace her steps, see if she missed anything.

Turns out that she’d had something of a one-track mind as she’d arrived, having completely glazed over an entire alleyway to the left of the path from the station. How she’d managed to miss it, she had no clue. However, a quick glance down the lane informed her of her destination.

The outside of the café was… cosy. An array of plants were lined up around the entrance, all blooming in assorted shades of green. A red and white overhang jutted out from the entryway, written upon it was the café’s name, and it served as suitable shelter from the rain, Sumire assumed. A small chalkboard was positioned next to the wooden and glass door, listing a few of the options available to patrons.

Feeling her chest tighten once more, she reached out for the handle, her fingers sliding around the cool metal, where they laid at rest as her breathing accelerated. In the past, she’d normally been good with new people, however, after the incident…

She squeezed her eyes shut. ‘I’m better than this, I know I am!’ Sumire thought to herself, steeling herself, pushing down on the handle, hearing a small bell ring as she did.

The first thing that she noticed was the strong smell of coffee. It was almost overwhelming, the sheer scent of the acidic substance. Additionally, between the wafts of coffee came the occasional aroma of… curry? She did notice how there was curry listed on the chalkboard next to the entrance before she walked in, but did such a flavour combination really work together? Stepping forward, she took in the surroundings. Three tables took up the left side of the establishment, ashtrays dotted on the corners of each and with padded benches on either side, all boxed in next to the wall. A long bar with several chairs was positioned directly opposite the tables, a yellow payphone positioned on the corner. Some small glass containers filled with varying coffee beans were placed atop the bar counter, as well as three separate brewers, small flames flickering underneath the glass chamber, the deep brown liquid bubbling away. Behind the counter were many, many jars, all with different labels, all with names of coffee that Sumire’d never heard of. The establishment had a rather, to put it simply, retro feel to it, but there was something oddly soothing about how the smells of coffee, curry and an almost musky smell, due to the assumed age of the place.

As she stopped just next to the entrance, she twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger idly, watching the patrons of the café – an elderly couple, each with a small cup of coffee in front of them, was focused on the television, located at the back of the café, chattered away.

“A public transit bus was driven down an opposing lane with its customers still in it!” The host of the show declared, a small video playing next to them showing some footage of the event. “The citizens can’t live in peace if this keeps up.” He finished, slamming his fist against the table, as if he were outraged.

“How frightening.” The elderly male spoke softly, glancing over to his wife.

“What could be going on?” She replied, shaking her head. “Didn’t something similar happen just the other day?”

“And down is…” The disinterested manager of the café, Sumire assumed, muttered to himself, as he sat by the bar, staring at his newspaper, flicking his pen up and down absentmindedly. His choice of attire – a pink shirt, beige chinos and white shoes, topped off with a grey, striped apron – worked surprisingly well for the middle-aged man, his facial hair perfectly aligning with his dark hair. “…the name of a shellfish used in pearl farming…” He continued, paying no attention to the world around him.

As Sumire shifted her weight onto her other leg, he glanced up in her direction, his eyes widening as he saw her. “…oh, right.” Reaching behind him, he placed the newspaper on the surface of the bar, standing up. “They did say that was today.” He sighed.

The elderly couple stood up as well. “We’ll be going now. The payment’s on the table.” The elderly gentleman informed the manager with a nod.

“Thanks for coming.” He replied, without even so much as a smile, his hand placed on his hip.

“This place is in a back alley, so there’s no worries of a car crashing in here.” The aged woman declared, a comfortable tone in her voice, as though any potential fears arising from the news report that had just been featured need not apply to her.

The owner’s face paled in surprise. “A what now?”

“There’s been a string of those rampage accidents, you know.” The gentleman explained, narrowing his eyes. “I just hope that none happen around here.”

With a quick, albeit lazy, flick of the wrist, the manager dismissed the idea. “It’s none of my concern.”

The elderly couple laughed at his honesty. “We’ll see you next time.” They finished with a wave, heading towards the exit. The door chimed as they left, with the bearded man sighing in relief.

“…four hours for just a single cup of joe.” He complained, scratching the back of his head. Turning to face the girl in question, he grunted. “So, you’re Sumire?”

“Um, is Sakura-san here?” The redhead asked sheepishly.

“…yeah, you’re looking at him.” He stated, matter-of-factly. “I’m Sojiro Sakura. You’ll be in my custody over the next year.” He explicated with a smug grin on his face, his eyebrow cocked as he took in the sight of the girl before him. “I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you’re the one, huh?”

Sumire merely averted her eyes from Sakura-san’s discerning gaze, clenching her teeth. She’d expected this to be tough, meeting a completely unknown person, but she hadn’t anticipated them to be so… tough, was the only word that came to mind from her initial interactions with her new guardian.

Evidently, the middle aged man realised he might be being a bit harsh on her for their first meeting, as he suddenly shifted his weight onto his left leg, raising his hand upwards to scratch behind his head, nervously. “Uh, have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other, and-“ He started, trying to change the subject, before he shook his head. “Well, not that that matters…”

Turning on his heel, he glanced over his shoulder. “Follow me.” He began moving towards the back of the café, towards a small hallway. Sumire stepped forward, tracing his steps. The musty smell of coffee continued to fill her nostrils – she didn’t consider herself a fan of the stuff, personally, but if this was the kind of environment she would be frequenting for the foreseeable future… she could grow to like it.

Climbing the stairs, she noted a distinct layer of dust on the stairs, to the point that Sakura-san’s footprints seemed to be getting left in the stuff. A stale stench of dust seemed to hang in that area, pervading her nostrils with every breath. Reaching the top of the stairs, the room that met her was… somehow below any expectation she’d had for it. Not only was there an exceptionally large amount of dust over every single surface – the tables, the sofa, the floor – there was also a sizeable amount of rubbish piled up in several areas: Stacks of books on the shelves and tables, boxes taped shut and piled into various corners, rubbish bags and assorted other pieces of unused equipment littered the floor.

Turning on his heel, he faced her. “This is your room. I’ll at least give you sheets for your bed.” His face scrunched up as he saw Sumire’s expression. “You look like you wanna say something.” His tone was accusatory – a tone that was exceptionally well known to the falsly accused girl.

“It’s, uh… spacious?” She forced, trying her best to smile.

Smirking slyly, Sakura-san nodded. “It’s on you to clean up the rest. You’ll be alone at night, after I leave and lock up the place, but don’t do anything stupid.” He explained before he scowled, his tone darkening. “I’ll throw you out if you cause any trouble. Don’t forget, you’re on probation.”

Sumire nodded, looking down at the dusty floor. She should’ve expected this, if she was being honest, but still…

It didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Anyhow, I got the gist of your situation.” Her new guardian started, “You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right?” She couldn’t even look him in the eye – it wasn’t so much that she was embarrassed by what she’d done or the fact that a stranger knew what she’d done, it somewhat felt like how her father had when he’d discussed the incident with her.

Like he was staring straight into her mind.

“That’s what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults.” He sighed, slipping off his glasses to rub his eyes. “You did injure him, yeah?”

“No!” Sumire blurted out, stamping her foot, “He injured himself when he fell! I only placed my hand on his shoulder to get his attention!”

Huffing in amusement, he shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. Either way, you’ve got a criminal record, and you were expelled from your high school.” He continued, bluntly. “The courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your parents also approved. In other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass.”

“…that sounds about right.” Sumire admitted, feeling her face drop. It was a bit on the nose, but Sakura-san’s description of the situation pretty accurately summarised her standing.

Of course, he was missing out how much she had grown to resent her parents following the incident, but that was besides the point.

“It’s best you not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business, you know.” He warned, his stare as harsh as his tone. “Behave yourself for the year. If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted. Cause any problems, and you’ll be sent straight to juvie.”

“Yes, sir.” Sumire replied, downcast. It was all stuff she’d heard before, but getting it constantly drilled into her skull… it felt like a pressure was building up in her head.

“We’ll be going to Shujin tomorrow.” Sakura-san declared.

“Shujin? Why?” Sumire asked, surprised – schools were closed on Sundays, so there was no reason, as far as she was aware, to go in on such a day.

“We’ll be introducing ourselves properly to the staff there.” Sighing, he brushed a few coffee remnants from his apron. “There’s rarely a place that’ll accept someone like you, you know.” Groaning, he continued, “What a waste of my Sunday…”

“I’m sorry…” The redhead bowed deeply, refusing to make eye contact.

Grunting, the older man lightly tapped the sizeable cardboard box that was placed in the centre of the room. “Your luggage arrived a little while ago. I brought it up here for you.” With that, he began heading towards the stairs, resting his hand on the banister as he began descending, the occasional groan as his bones clicked into place as he went.

‘I’ll be living here starting today…’ Sumire thought to herself as she let her eyes wander around the cluttered attic once more. Honestly, it was kind of disgusting, just how much this place had been left to rot, with spiderwebs hanging from almost every surface. In fact, the only ‘clean’ items in here were her own luggage, which had a thin layer of dust forming atop it, and what Sakura-san had referred to as her ‘bed’ – it was little more than a raised mattress with a sheet on it, but the duvet she’d been given looked surprisingly comforting.

Shaking her head, she narrowed her eyes. “Well, not worth complaining about it now!” She told herself, clenching her fists in determination. “Just gotta make the most of it!”

Kneeling down next to her luggage, she peeled off the tap sealing the cardboard box shut, looking inside to see how her stuff had fared – after all, the box did look a little… bashed. Fortunately, it seemed as though there was no damage to any of her belongings, much to her relief. A few changes of clothes – sportwear, casual attire, some extra uniforms for school, sleepwear, a few items for the colder months, as well as a surplus of items like hairbands and whatnot – her toiletries and necessities such as her charger for her phone, as well as a few coat hangers, all laid perfectly intact within the sturdy box, causing her to sigh in relief.

Figuring that it would be a good idea to clean up her new place, she grabbed the small box full of hairbands, taking one out and running it through her hair, leaving it in a ponytail. Honestly, she rather liked wearing her hair like this, but more often than not she left it after…

Well, she left it hanging as usual out of respect, more than anything. But for physical exercises, including cleaning, it was more important to ensure that her hair would remain out of the way, rather than obscure her vision.

Slipping off her blazer, she placed it on one of her coat hangers and hung it from one of the wooden beams above her – sure, it might’ve been dusty up there, but it was better than leaving it on the floor, where it would’ve gotten even more filthy. Grabbing her sportswear, she changed out of her uniform, leaving it on her bed so that it wouldn’t get dirty, and into the sporty outfit, consisting of a tank-top and leggings, perfect for free movement, before taking a moment to admire herself. It had been a while since she’d worn this, honestly – she used to wear it all the time, especially with…

‘No, I can’t think about stuff like that.’ Sumire thought to herself, scowling. ‘I’ve got to make the most of this, not wallow in the past.’ Shaking her head, she considered grabbing her shoes from the box, but decided against it – she would likely need to use them for P.E. classes at school, so it would be best not to get them unnecessarily dirty during cleaning.

Stepping across the dusty floor, she walked down the stairs, spotting Sakura-san standing behind the counter, idly smoking a cigarette.

“Excuse me, Sakura-san.” She spoke sheepishly, really uncertain how to approach her new guardian. When he turned to face her with a lazy expression, she continued. “Do we have any cleaning equipment I could borrow?”

His eyes widened in surprise. “O-oh, yeah, there’s some in the toilet to your left.” He spoke, as though in shock that this supposed delinquent was actually wanting to clean.

“Thank you so much!” Sumire bowed briefly before opening the door, immediately spotting a mop, bucket, and a duster. ‘Perfect!’ She thought to herself, grabbing them all before closing the door.

“Feel free to use the sink in the kitchen to fill up the bucket.” Sakura-san spoke calmly, with a soft smile on his face. It was almost like the polar opposite to how he was only a few minutes prior, when he was discussing Sumire’s situation. There was almost something… fatherly about it.

“Ah, yes! Thank you!” She replied, wanting to maintain a good relationship with her new guardian as she stepped forward, doing exactly what he suggested. Letting the water run until it reached the appropriate temperature, she poured some soap in the bucket, letting it fill up, humming an upbeat tune as it did so. Reaching the desired level of water, she made her way up the stairs with her arms full of cleaning materials, before placing the bucket at the top of the stairs.

‘Right, it would be best to dust first, then mop.’ She determined, heading over to the table next to the shelf. Running the duster along the surface, cleaning the surface perfectly as the dust attached itself to the material. Untying one of the bags, she wiped off the cloth material before continuing her work, running it along every surface she could find, regularly cleaning the duster as she went – especially when she had to deal with the spiderwebs, much to her dismay.

With that task complete, she grabbed the mop, draining the excess liquid before beginning to scrub the floor. She’d clearly underestimated the difficulty of this task at first, as a quick wipe did very little to alleviate the grime that covered the dark wooden floor. However, as she continued to wipe away at the surface, pushing down on the mop, the grubby surface began to give way to her efforts, revealing the clean, polished surface beneath. Sighing in relief, she began on the tedious task of cleaning the rest of the floor.

With the first half of the attic floor cleaned, Sumire grabbed her luggage, dragging it over to the set of shelves next to the stairs, shifting some of the empty coffee bean bags aside so that it would fit on the lowest shelf, completely out of the way so she could finish her task. Grabbing the mop once again, she continued her work, scrubbing away at the floor to the best of her ability.

Much later, the floor was finally as clean as it could get, with Sumire panting and wiping a thin layer of sweat off her brow, taking a small moment to sit on the edge of her new bed to catch her breath.

“I wonder how long it’s been since this room was last cleaned…” She muttered to herself, feeling the surprisingly comfortable surface of the mattress beneath her hands. Considering how the bed looked, there was something rather… soothing about it. Combined with the atmosphere of the room, Sumire could feel herself beginning to nod off…

“Ah!” She caught herself, jumping up onto her feet, glancing back at the soft surface. How she’d nearly passed out from simply sitting on her bed, she didn’t know, but she didn’t have time to sleep yet – there was still more cleaning to do!

Shaking her head in a vain attempt to get rid of any drowsiness, she reached up, grabbing some of the pieces of fabric hanging from clotheslines placed between the wooden beams, folding them under her arm as she picked up some of the bags of rubbish, taking them downstairs.

“Sakura-san, do you need these?” Sumire asked, drawing attention to the rags as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

The middle-aged man turned towards the girl, his eyes hardening. “Oh, no. I’ve been meaning to get rid of those for a while, to be honest.”

“I see.” Sumire replied, shifting her weight onto her other foot as she continued to hold the bags of rubbish. “Where would be suitable to put these?” She questioned, holding up one of the bags in her hand.

“Just down the road on your left, there’s a large dumpster. Chuck ‘em in there.” He stated with a quick wave of the hand.

“Thank you!” The ponytailed girl replied, making her way through the café and pulling the door open, stepping out into the cold, evening air. Evidently, she’d been cleaning for much longer than she’d expected, as the sun had completely set already, the streetlights illuminating the comfortable area that was Yongen-Jaya. Heading to her right, she spotted the dumpster, placing some of the bags down so she could open the lid before throwing the rubbish in, the lid slamming shut from the impact.

Patting her hands down to remove any possible grime from her fingers, she turned on her heel, heading back to her new place of residence, choosing to take her time as she went, absorbing the ambiance as she went. The general chatter that was present during the day, quiet though it may have been, was now absent. Cats roamed the neighbourhood, some lying on walls whilst others choosing to dash away timidly as they saw her. The streetlights, whilst outdated in comparison to those she had seen in the more built up areas of Tokyo, such as Shibuya, emanated a gentle orange glow.

Yes, ‘quaint’ was certainly the best word to describe Yongen-Jaya. Whilst she wasn’t a fan of the circumstances that led to her residing here… this would certainly be a nice place to live for a year.

Opening the door to the café, Sumire noticed how Sakura-san seemed to be absent. He did say that he would be heading home at the end of the day, but she doubted he would leave the door unlocked like this. However, she noticed that the brewers at the far end of the counter were still on, so it was unlikely that he’d gone home already.

“Sakura-san?” She called out, nervously. Whilst she’d concluded that he likely hadn’t gone home, there was still some unknown, guttural fear in the back of her mind.

“Up here.” A muffled voice she recognised as her guardian called out from the attic, or rather, her room.

Sighing with relief, Sumire wandered through the café, heading up the stairs, spotting Sakura-san looking around the room, stroking his beard as he did so.

“You did a real number on this place, huh?” He spoke quietly as she reached the top of the stairs. “The place doesn’t look too bad, kind of like a bachelor pad.” He paused for a second, his eyes widening. “O-or, bachelorette pad, rather.” He stuttered, scratching the back of his head. “A-anyway, why don’t you go to bed for tonight? Remember we’ve got to get up early tomorrow to head to Shujin.”

“Yes, sir.” She replied, causing Sakura-san to chuckle in response.

“Why so formal?” He asked light-heartedly, his eyes softening, his question catching Sumire off guard.

“B-because! Y-you’re my guardian so I have to s-show you respect!” She explained, occasionally biting her tongue, prompting more laughter from the older man.

“S-sorry,” He managed between laughs, “I d-don’t mean to laugh.” He cleared his throat, but his amused smirk never left his face. “There’s no need for such formalities, we’re gonna be living together for the next year, after all. Just call me Sojiro, or Boss, if you prefer.”

“Yes sir!” Sumire responded autonomously before realising what she’d said. “I… er…”

With a small laugh, Sojiro pat her on the shoulder briefly. “Just do whatever works for you, kiddo.” He stated, before heading down the stairs. “I’ll lock up and head home, myself. Make sure you get to sleep early for tomorrow.”

Smiling, Sumire turned to him. “Thank you… Boss.”

With a sly grin, Sojiro headed down the stairs, leaving Sumire to her own devices. Reaching for her phone, which had been left on the table next to the stairs, she checked how much charge it had – a measly nineteen percent – before reaching for the box of her luggage, pulling out her charger and plugging it in to the socket next to her bed, checking to ensure that her phone was indeed charging before pulling her sleepwear out of her luggage box, slipping off her leggings and pulling on the comfy slouch pants, before removing her top and pulling on a tank-top, different from her workout one – where her workout one was designed to be tight fitting to ensure little unnecessary movement during a workout, this tank-top was designed for comfort, fitting loosely around her form.

Stepping towards her bed, she let her crimson locks loose from their prison that was her ponytail, before she lay down on the soft surface, placing her arms behind her head, staring aimlessly at the ceiling.  
“Arrest… trial…” She muttered to herself, running over the previous events in her head, before scowling. “Criminal record…” She uttered; her voice low. “But it wasn’t like I could let that go!” She told herself, the memory running through her head.

\--

Sumire had been going home late that evening, walking through her hometown on her way home from cram school. The sounds of a man and woman arguing echoed through the streets, but she hadn’t been able to see the cause of such noise just yet. Turning the corner, she noticed a parked car, its headlights still on, and the man and woman she’d heard previously fighting next to it.

“How dare you cross me!” He slurred loudly as Sumire drew closer to the couple.

“No…!” The woman, her wrist caught in his grasp, struggled, desperately trying to pull away from him.

“Don’t give me that shit…” The man, very obviously drunk, continued to try to force himself on her, his hands tightening on her.

“Ow! P-please, stop…!” She begged, to little avail.

‘I can’t ignore this.’ Sumire had thought to herself, stepping forward.

“Tch… what a waste of time.” The drunkard cursed, “You think you’re worth causing me trouble? Huh?”

“I-I’ll call the police!” She threatened in an attempt to get the bald man, his glasses slipping from his face, to back off.

He scoffed in response. “Call them if you want! The police are my bitches… they’re not gonna take you seriously.” He declared, ominously.

“No… stop!” She pleaded, to no avail.

A siren rang out through the night, garnering the attention of the intoxicated abuser.

“Someone called the cops, huh?” He muttered, his grip on the woman remaining tight. “Get in the car!” He demanded, Sumire hardly believing such a despicable human could exist. “Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!”

‘Follow? Steer?’ Sumire thought to herself as she approached, bewildered. What kind of man was this?

“Hey!” She called out, “Get away from her!”

“…what’re you looking at? This ain’t a show, kid, get lost!” He demanded, releasing his grip on the woman to swat in Sumire’s direction for a moment, before reaffirming his grip on her. “See?” He shouted at the woman, “This is all because you’re so damn slow! Get in the car!”

\--

Scowling at the ceiling, Sumire sighed, closing her eyes in despair. From there, she’d simply placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to back off, and…

Well, ultimately, she ended up in her current circumstances.

How in the hell was any of that ‘just’? How in the world could a deplorable adult like that be able to go scot-free, whilst she, who was just doing what was right, be punished? How could that woman, who was terrified of the disgustingly abusive bastard, testify against Sumire when the police arrived?

How could her parents abandon her… just like they’d done with…

Her phone chimed from the edge of the shelves next to her bed, snapping her out of her stupor, reaching over and unlocking the device. Her eyes widened as the home screen showed, as the strange red and black app that had appeared on her phone earlier had somehow come back, pulsating strangely in the centre of her phone.

“I thought I deleted that…” Sumire groaned, dragging the icon to the bin icon once again, deleting it again. With that, she set an alarm for the morning before placing her phone back onto the shelves, leaving it to charge as she gave in to the lull of sleep, feeling her eyes heavy as she pulled the heavy duvet over herself.

\--

An intense pressure within her skull, like something begging to escape, forced Sumire awake, her eyes shooting open and her breath short. Sitting up in a shot, she clutched at her chest, her fingers crushing the fabric material as they writhed in naught but pure fear, her breathing short and panic induced, seemingly unable to get it under control. As her fingers tightened, she clenched her teeth as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“…it’s only a dream, it’s only a dream…” She chanted to herself like some kind of mantra. This wasn’t the first time she’d been forcefully awoken from her slumber by something unpleasant, but despite the fact that she was telling herself it was a nightmare that had awoken her, part of her wasn’t convinced. Inching her eyes open, she had a sudden realisation.

This… wasn’t where she’d fallen asleep.

Instead of being in a cosy bed in a dusty attic, she was now in… a jail cell?

Chains hung from the ceiling, clinking quietly amidst the subtle changes in air pressure, the walls were a deep blue colour, and appeared soft to the touch. Directly across from what she was currently sitting on, which turned out to be a wooden slab, was a metal toilet, the occasional droplet of water echoing through the cell.

…what the hell happened?

As she placed her hand down on the wooden surface, she heard yet another clink, causing her to look down, causing yet more surprise. Her clothes, rather than the comfortable sleepwear she’d remembered putting on, had been replaced with a rather unflattering set of black and white horizontally striped clothes, very similar to those that criminals in prison would wear. Additionally, the clink that had gathered her attention seemed to have come from the chain connecting two, rather heavy-duty gauntlets, latched firmly around her wrists. Swinging her legs over the side, she let them touch down on the floor, which was rather hard and cold – most likely concrete, she concluded.

Lifting her hand to her head, she rested her forehead against her palm, trying not to spiral into a panic.

What on Earth happened? How the hell did she miss something this drastic?

A chuckle, feminine by the sound of it, from Sumire’s right caught her attention, causing her to snap her head towards the source of the sound immediately. From each side of her jail cell, a small girl, dressed in blue and wearing a hat of some sort, their eyes a vibrant yellow, stepped forth. The one that had emerged from the right appeared to be holding a clipboard, her left eye covered by an eyepatch as her braided hair fell down her back, her deep blue tie neatly in line down her centre. On the other hand, the girl that appeared from the right was holding what appeared to be a baton, her hair braided into two neat buns on the sides of her head, her right eye covered by an eyepatch, and her tie much more messily positioned.

Sumire stood up, her head still aching from the intense pressure that had awoken her before, as she began to move towards the entrance to her cell. Hearing a clinking from the floor, she looked down to see yet another chain, this time leading to an iron ball, effectively limiting her movement within the already limited space of the cell. Reaching the iron door covered in chains, Sumire placed her hands on the bars, getting as close to the exit as she could before the two nigh identical looking girls turned around, standing on either side of her cell, looking towards the centre of the room. 

This new party, whom Sumire hadn’t even noticed until now, was unlike any person she’d ever seen. Sitting at an ornate wooden desk with a sizeable stack of paperwork and an intricate blue quill was a proper gremlin of a man, his long, pointy nose extending out far from his face, as though it were a beak on a bird of some kind, and his ears were similarly formed, being large and pointed. Though he was completely bald on the top of his rather grotesque head, Sumire could see some white hair flowing from the rear side of his head, reaching his shoulders. His large, toothy smile looked sinister with the light shining on him from directly above, and his bulbous eyes seemed to be protruding from his skull. His long, gangly legs and arms were the next thing that stood out to the redhead – his arms seemed to be far longer than one would deem necessary, and the same could be said for his legs, crossed as they were under the table. Even his suit, elaborate and baroquely crafted as it was, seemed to fit perfectly, despite his unique proportions.

Untangling one of his fingers from his intertwined hands, he reached forwards with his right hand, as a deep voice emanated from the man. “Trickster… Welcome to my Velvet Room.”

“So you’ve come to, Inmate!” The girl with the braided buns spoke harshly, as though she were judging Sumire’s every move.

“The you in reality is currently fast asleep.” The girl with the long braid down her back spoke much more softly, but there was a harsh undertone in her voice, indicating her severity of her role. “You are only experiencing this as a dream.” She elaborated, but it only succeeded in confusing the redhead even more.

A dream? But this felt so… real.

“You’re in the presence of our master, stand up straight!” The harsh twin demanded with a quick flick of her baton.

“Y-yes!” Sumire stuttered, unintentionally.

“Welcome.” The grotesque man reiterated, “I am delighted to make your acquaintance.”   
Drumming his fingers along the wooden desk, he continued. “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a ‘contract’ may enter.”

Contract? Had Sumire signed any contract to end up in a place like this?

“I am Igor, the master of this place.” The bald man continued, ignoring any obvious confusion being displayed on Sumire’s face. “I summoned you to speak of important matters.”

“Important matters?” Sumire repeated, giving a quick tug to the cell door.

“Still, this is a surprise…” Igor ignored her confusion once more, glancing around this so-called ‘Velvet Room’. “The state of this room reflects the state of your own hearts. To think a prison would appear as such.” He chuckled ominously, his deep voice echoing through the room. “You truly are a ‘prisoner’ of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you both.”

“Both?” Sumire echoed like a parrot, her eyebrow cocking in confusion. She was alone in this cell, there was no one with her.

“Indeed, however it seems that our other guest is yet to awaken.” He explained, glancing to the cell on Sumire’s left. “No doubt that he will come to soon enough.”

“Also, what do you mean by ‘ruin’?” Sumire asked, not letting that point slip by her.

With a light chortle, Igor continued to drum his fingers atop the wooden desk. “Worry not. There is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be ‘rehabilitated’.”

Rehabilitated? What could that mean?

“Rehabilitated toward freedom… that is your only means to avoid ruin…” He elaborated, his tone remaining neutral. “…Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?”

Distortion? Ruin? This man spoke in riddles, and never explained anything. Now he was asking Sumire if she would be willing to go along with it?

She figured it would be best to play along, letting her hands drop to her sides. “I’d rather avoid ruin.” She stated clearly.

“Excellent. Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.” He asked, but Sumire was aware it was an empty question – this man, nay, this thing was going to watch her ‘rehabilitation’ whether she wanted to or not.

The two twin girls in front of her cell stepped towards each other before turning on their heel, facing Sumire once more.

“Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others.” Igor shifted slightly, moving his chin from his left hand to his right. “To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.”

‘Wardens? That would explain the outfits.’ Sumire thought to herself, glancing down at the short girls.

Caroline scoffed as Igor finished his introduction. “Try and struggle as hard as you like.”

“The duty of wardens is to protect inmates.” Justine continued, “We are also your collaborators.”

“Collaborators?” Sumire parroted in confusion.

“…that is, if you remain obedient.” Justine replied, her tone harshening to a similar level as Caroline’s.

“I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion.” Igor announced from behind them, prompting the twin wardens to turn on their heels once more to face their ‘master’. “Now then, it seems the night is waning… It is almost time.” Igor shifted his weight once more, leaning on his left hand again as his right hand continued to drum along the table. “Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually… and hopefully, by then, our other guest will have awoken.”

With a flick of the wrist, an alarm suddenly blared through the prison, causing Sumire to look up in confusion.

“Time’s up.” Caroline turned to face her once more, swinging her baton idly behind her back. “Now, hurry up and go back to sleep.” She declared, a tone of finality radiating in her words.

“Wait…” Sumire started before an overwhelming drowsiness overtook her, causing her to collapse onto the floor, unconscious.

\--

The familiar blaring of Sumire’s phone ringing at the set time was both welcome and the last thing she wanted to hear right now, reaching over as she tried to find the screaming device without opening her eyes, to no avail. Forcing her eyes open, much to her dismay, she found the noise radiating machine had fallen off the shelf due to the vibrations given off during the alarm process, and was now lying on the floor next to her bed. Picking it up and disabling the alarm, she groaned loudly, dropping the device on the floor with a thud – it had a metal case, any damage done would be purely visual.

“What a strange dream…” She murmured into her pillow, desperately wanting to go back to sleep, even though she knew she shouldn’t. “Was it really a dream though…?” All the talk of ‘ruin’ and ‘rehabilitation’… it seemed just a little too real to be written off as a dream.

“Hey, you up yet?” Sojiro called out from the bottom of the stairs.

“Y-yes!” Sumire called out, scrambling to sit upright. “I’ll need to bathe though…”

“There’s a bathhouse across from here, they’re open in the early morning and evenings.” Sojiro explained from the bottom of the stairs, his voice booming through the establishment. “It costs a little to use, but I’ll cover it for now. I’d recommend getting a pass or something if you’re going to use it daily.” He suggested with a huff.

“Y-yes, I’ll do that!” Sumire piped up, stepping towards her luggage box and grabbing a hoodie before slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes. Reaching in to grab her bag of toiletries, she put it under her arm before dashing down the stairs.

Sojiro was placed in a very similar position to how she’d first met him – sitting on one of the raised chairs next to the bar, reading his newspaper. His attire, however, was largely different – the pink shirt and beige chinos remained, but was now accompanied by a white blazer and a white fedora with a pink lining.

“…morning.” He muttered, glancing up from his paper. “You’ve got about an hour before we need to head out to introduce ourselves properly to the Shujin staff about your transfer. I’ll drive you there, but just for today. Now, go and get cleaned up.”

“Yes, Boss!” Sumire chimed happily, quickly walking through the café to the exit as Sojiro huffed in amusement.

\--

The Shujin Academy building was a large, mostly white building, which appeared to be largely designed with functionality in mind. A large, numberless clock adorned the wall next to the entrance, indicating that it was approximately ten-past-two in the afternoon. Bushes were placed along the surrounding walls, with a plaque at the entrance with the school name embellished on the dark blue surface. The school gates were sizeable, and appeared to extend from behind the wall, rather than being a swinging variety of gate.

Taking in the sights of her new school as she followed Sojiro, she stopped behind him as he turned on his heel to face her with a tired expression. “Do me a favour and behave yourself, all right? Don’t get me wrong – I don’t care what happens to you, just don’t cause me any trouble.”

A twang at her heart reminded her of the cold, hard reality in which she lived. With how well conversations between her and Sojiro had gone, she’d hoped that he might not be so… cold, viewing her as a person rather than a liability.

‘Evidently, I hoped for too much…’ Sumire thought to herself, sticking her hands in her blazer pockets as she followed Sojiro into the school.

A rotund man awaited them just inside the main entrance, making some brief small talk with Sojiro before glaring at Sumire, much to her dismay, before he led the two of them through the building, up two flights of stairs and to his office. It wasn’t an overly ornate office – rather fitting for the principal of a school in the middle of the city – but awaiting inside was a woman, wearing a yellow striped sweater and a denim skirt, trying to sort her messy brown hair before being startled by the door opening.

“Well then, Sakura-san, if you could just sign this document before she transfers here.” The overweight man requested as he sat down in the leather chair behind the desk, taking out a napkin from his jacket and wiping his forehead, the minute exercise of climbing the stairs clearly being too much for the man.

As Sojiro finished signing the paper, his signature rather flashy, the principal continued, glaring directly at Sumire. “To reiterate, just so we’re clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems.” Sumire couldn’t bring herself to look at the man, instead looking at the floor for some semblance of comfort. “In my opinion, you’re nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider…” 

He cleared his throat before continuing. “Whatever you might’ve gotten away with in your hometown… those days are over. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.” He emphasised, continuously drilling the point home. Sighing, he turned to the woman on his left. “This is the teacher in charge of your class.”

“I’m Sadayo Kawakami.” The brown-haired woman introduced herself, a tired expression donning her face. “Here’s your student ID.” She reached forward, placing it rather forcefully down on the edge of the table, as though she wanted nothing to do with Sumire.

Underneath the student ID, however, was a pink pamphlet. Sumire didn’t get a chance to read much of it, as Kawakami snatched it back, stuffing it into a pocket on her denim skirt.

Clearing her throat, she continued. “Be sure to read the school rules. Any violation will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won’t be able to protect you at all.” She explained, her tone uncaring, glancing back to the principal. “…that IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?”

Humming in approval, he spoke. “She is responsible for all her actions.”

A pained expression crossed Kawakami’s face. “But really though, why me? There should’ve been better candidates.”

“Shall we not discuss this in front of the transfer student?” Principal Kobayakawa dismissed with a small shake of his head.

“If you’re done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to.” Sojiro requested, indirectly helping Sumire get away from the judgemental gazes of the teachers.

Nodding, Kobayakawa added, “Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on her. Don’t let her cause any trouble outside…”

“Well, I’ll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation she’s in.” Sojiro replied, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Sighing, Kawakami made eye-contact with Sumire. “Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I’ll show you to your classroom.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sumire replied quickly.

\--

Arriving at the entryway to the school, Sojiro stopped and turned to Sumire.

“Everyone’s giving you the cold shoulder.” He remarked, “That’s what having a criminal record does to you. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go.” He stated, as though it was obvious.

Hardening his glare, he continued to make eye contact with her. “By the way… if you get expelled now, I won’t hesitate to kick you out. Got it?”

“I’ll be careful.” Sumire replied, honestly, nervously twisting a strand of hair between her fingers.

Grunting in response, Sojiro suddenly grew a rather wistful expression. “School never changes, huh?” He paused for a moment. “…come on, we’re going home.”

\--

Kawakami shuffled her way between the two main buildings of Shujin academy – education, where the vast majority of classes were held, and practice, where all school clubs met – she stopped, right at the turnoff for the sports hall, as she noticed a tall, muscular man with dark hair, dressed very casually.

“What a troublesome situation.” He noted, his tone dark, betraying his outward appearance as he scratched his angular chin.

“I can’t believe they pushed someone with a record on me…” Kawakami complained, her eyes downcast. “A male teacher would be better suited for this…”

Placing his hands on his hips, the man sighed. “Why in the world was someone like that admitted here?”

Shaking her head, Kawakami kept her gaze away from him. “Who knows?” She replied, downtrodden. “It was the principal’s decision. I was told that it’s for the ‘school’s reputation’.”

“I would’ve thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that.” He replied with a small chuckle.

Pushing a small strand of hair back into place, Kawakami nodded. “That’s certainly true.” She remarked, squinting her eyes sceptically. She’d heard about the rumours of the volleyball team – of course she had, it seemed to be the only thing the school was talking about – but how could she do anything about them?

Not when the Olympic medallist that coached the team was standing right in front of her.

“Be careful, okay?” The coach warned, before a reassuring smile stretched across his face. “Then again, if anything were to happen, I’d kick out a student like that right away.”

Looking down at the ground, Kawakami twiddled her thumbs nervously. “…I keep wishing that she’d just end up not coming to school… but that isn’t something a teacher should say.”

Clearly uncertain how to respond to Kawakami’s confession, the taller man stretched his hands above his head for a moment, before rolling his left shoulder, a small sigh of relief escaping his lips as he did so. “Well, I should be returning to practice.” He finished, a slight air of awkwardness arising between the two adults.

“Oh, right.” The brown-haired teacher replied with a nod. “The tournament’s coming up, isn’t it?”

With a small laugh, he scratched his chin once more. “Having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself. We’ll have to work hard to make up for the track team, too.” He finished, a sinister tone in his voice, not unnoticed by the tired teacher, before he turned to his left, heading towards the gymnasium, leaving Kawakami with her thoughts.

“Why’d it have to be my class…” She muttered in contempt, yawning.

\--

“Uuugh.” Sojiro groaned, tapping his finger on the steering wheel of his small, yellow car.  
“Traffic’s not moving at all…” He turned to Sumire, who was sitting quietly in her spot in the passenger seat. “You’re taking the train starting tomorrow.” He stated, leaving no room for argument.

“Yes, sir…” Sumire replied before gasping. “Ah! I-I mean, yes, boss!”

Smiling softly, Sojiro continued tapping his finger. “Geez, how did a kid like you get saddled with a criminal record…” He remarked, absentmindedly. “…So how was it? The school, I mean.” He paused for a moment, adjusting his glasses. “You think you can manage?”

“It’s hard to say for sure…” Sumire began, looking down at her lap. “But I get the feeling it’s gonna be tough.”

Sojiro snorted. “That’s an understatement. It’s not like anyone will be sympathetic with you…” Grunting, he massaged a spot on his right. “What a troublesome kid I’ve taken in…”

Biting her lip, Sumire turned to her left, staring out the window. She struggled with conversations like this at the best of times, but it felt so much worse with how it felt as her new guardian chastised her.

The older gentleman reached forward, pressing a button on the radio. “…to today’s top stories.” The newscaster spoke through the speakers. “A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of-“

Groaning once again, Sojiro scowled. “Another accident? So that’s why it’s so crowded. There’s been a lot of those lately.” He paused, glancing at Sumire out of the corner of his eye. “In fact, there was a real sad one just last month – it happened before you came here. If I remember right, it was a high schooler’s parents… That kid’s gotta be just…” He stopped, his lip trembling as he glanced out the window to his left, Sumire’s mouth agape. Imaging how that person would feel, losing… everything like that…

Sumire almost felt a kinship with them, despite not even knowing them.

“All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam-packed streets.” The newscaster announced dully, causing Sojiro to moan.

\--

“That was direct footage from the accident. According to the police, the engineer’s life was not in danger, despite his injuries. After questioning, even he could not explain his high speed when approaching the station. No further comments were made. Police are still looking for a plausible motive.” A female anchor delivered the news, her message going out across Japan through SNN, the major news network.

“It’s less of an operating accident and more of a crime of the company and the government.” An elderly man, the top of his head completely bald as his grey hair encircled the middle of his skull. He reached forward, adjusting the plaque at the edge of his desk, which read ‘SIU Director’ with a grunt before settling back into his leather chair. “Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago – the deterioration of the tracts and the ATC.” He explained to the woman currently in his office, clasping his hands together. “Seems the railway company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth.” He sighed, disheartened, before furrowing his brow. “There’s no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top.”

“And now, onto our main story.” The anchor continued. “With this derailment accident, as well as other recent incidents of unknown motive, concern is spreading among the general public.” A list of concerns, likely gathered from the general public itself, appeared next to her. “Just what could be causing such a drastic change so suddenly in these people?” She questioned, rhetorically.

“Everything’s linked – that’s what you’re thinking, correct?” The SIU Director questioned the grey-haired woman standing on the far side of his desk. With no response, her mind clearly working away, he hummed in amusement, turning to her. “…ah well. Are you free? You and I haven’t gone for a drink in a while.”

The woman, a young adult, turned to the Director, a small smile on her face. “Thank you, sir, but I have another meeting to attend.” Snapping her arms to her sides, she bowed lightly to him before making her exit.

Heading down the stone stairs, the harsh-looking woman stood before the final stretch of stairs, noticing a young man standing to one side, making eye contact with his deep, brown eyes.

“Did you ask for me? Is it a case?” He asked softly, picking up his briefcase.

“Not quite.” She admitted, adjusting her pack of documents under her arm, not stopping her movement down the stairs. “I want your opinion on something.”

“Sure.” He complied with a light shrug. “Your judgement is quite often correct, though.” He smiled lightly, his gloved hands pushing some hair out of his face. “Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all.”

“Conveyer belt only.” She agreed, hearing the brown-haired boy moan lightly in disapproval before following in her footsteps.

\--

Finally arriving back at Leblanc, Sojiro sighed. “Damn, to think there’d be that much traffic…” He muttered, distractedly. “What a waste of time. I wasn’t able to open the café today…”

“I’m sorry…” Sumire bowed apologetically.

Sojiro’s eyes widened in surprise. “What are you sorry for? It’s not your fault that a train derailed.”

“B-but! If you hadn’t d-driven me to school, you wouldn’t have gotten caught up in the traffic, and-!” She explained, stuttering.

“It’s just part of the job, kid.” He dismissed. “Anyway, this is for you.” He pulled a small book out of his pocket, chucking it onto the bar surface. “It’s a diary. Make sure you keep it up to date.”

Picking up the paperback booklet, Sumire instantly realised what this was about. Another part of her being on probation, it seemed.

“You may be under probation, but there’s no special limitations on what you do in particular.” The café owner explained. “Besides following the law, that is. However, I’m obligated to report on you, which is why I’m having you record your daily activities.”

‘Just as I thought.’ Sumire thought to herself. ‘I wonder who he has to report to, though…’

Sojiro’s phone suddenly chimed, causing the two of them to jump slightly in surprise before the man in question pulled it out of his chino pocket. “Hey, what’s up?” His tone was soft – far softer than he’d ever spoken to Sumire. It made her wonder who he was speaking to. “…I’m about to leave right now – I’ll be there in no time.” He finished, plopping the phone back into his pocket. “I’m off, then. I’ll lock the place up, so get to bed early – you’ve got school starting tomorrow, after all. Oh, and don’t mess up my store. If something goes missing, I’ll hand you right over to the cops.” He threatened, his eyes narrowed.

“Y-yes, Boss!” Sumire obliged, bringing her hand to her head in a faux salute. Taking her word for it, Sojiro nodded, turning on his heel before exiting, the sound of the café door locking echoing through the silent building.

“…guess I should note down what happened today in the diary.” Sumire muttered, heading up to her room. Reaching the peak of the stairs, she grabbed her day bag – a small, rectangular bag in which she could hold a lot of her daily necessities, such as her purse, her phone, and an assortment of pens and whatnot – and took out a pen, sitting down on the brown seat and making note of the day’s activities before slipping her new diary into her school bag – a bag very similar to her own personal one, but this had been supplied by Shujin, adorned with the Shujin logo.

Stretching, she decided it would be best if she headed to bed sooner rather than later – she had a big day tomorrow, after all. Pulling out her sleepwear from the previous night, she changed out of her stuffy school uniform and into her much more comfortable clothing, hanging the uniform up on one of the wooden beams stretching across the ceiling, before heading to bed.  
As she sat on the edge of her bed, finalising her alarm for the morning, she heard a phone ringing from downstairs, her head propping up in surprise. Sojiro hadn’t left his phone here, she’d watched him put it in his pocket, after all – so what could it be?

Leaving her phone on her bed, she dashed across the wooden attic floor and down the stairs, the ringing becoming much louder as she approached. As the darkened café came into view, she flicked a switch on the wall, with the set of lights hanging over the tables opposite the bar coming alight. The yellow payphone that she’d noticed on her arrival yesterday seemed to be the source of the sound, so she stepped forth and picked up the receiver.

“H-hello?” Sumire spoke nervously, unsure of who would be calling at this time of night.

“Hey, it’s me.” A familiar voice sounded through the speaker, with Sumire instantly recognising it as her guardian. “I closed up the shop, but I forgot to flip the sign to ‘Closed’ when I left. Mind doing it for me?”

“A-ah, yes!” Sumire obliged, her voice happy. It had been a while since someone had actually trusted her with anything, even a task as mundane as this, so it just made her feel… happy.

“I doubt any customers are gonna come now, even if the sign’s flipped to ‘Open’.” Her guardian admitted, his voice slightly smug. “Anyway, I’ll leave the shop sign to you.” He hung up, leaving Sumire to do her job.

Placing the receiver back down on the phone, Sumire stepped towards the door, unlocking the latch and pulling it open, the cold air from outside rushing in and sending a small chill down her spine as she flipped the sign around, closing the door quickly with a small smile on her face.

Sure, it was a small, even negligible task, but the feeling of being relied on felt massive to the redhead.

Heading back through the café, she flipped the light switch off, leaving the establishment in darkness as she climbed the stairs. Pulling the cord to the bulb, the attic was left in darkness as she shuffled towards her bed, sitting down and grabbing her phone.

“I need to take the train tomorrow to school…” She muttered to herself, twirling a finger around some of her loose hair. “I’ll need to go to Shibuya first, then transfer onto the line to Aoyama-Itchome…” As she unlocked her phone, planning to make sure that her alarm was indeed set for the coming day, a familiar sight awaited her.

The red and black app, shaped like an eye, was still there, like it had never been deleted.

“What on Earth…?” Sumire muttered, her brow furrowed. “Is it a virus…?” She asked absentmindedly before dragging it to the bin icon once again. “Hopefully it’s gone for good, this time.” She huffed, grabbing her charger and plugging her phone in, before pulling the duvet over herself, her eyelids suddenly feeling exceptionally heavy as the lull of sleep pulled her in.

\--

Pulling on her uniform, Sumire grabbed her phone from its place on the cluttered shelf, slipping it into her pocket. Picking up her bag, she quickly made sure she would have everything she would need for school – pens, pencils, a calculator, some booklets for workings, and most importantly, her glasses – before sliding it onto her right shoulder. Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, she saw Sojiro awaiting her, a glass of water and a plate of something which smelled fantastic in front of him.

“So, you’re actually going to school, huh?” He asked, nonchalantly. “Here, I’ll feed you. Just make sure you finish it before the customers start coming in.”

Glancing down at the plate, Sumire’s eyes widened.

“Curry…?” She asked, uncertain.

“What’s that reaction for? Just eat it.” He replied, scowling.

Sitting down on one of the raised chairs at the bar, Sumire grabbed the fork and took a small amount of the golden-coloured food, mixed with a small helping of rice, and raised it to her mouth, taking in the glorious taste of the substance. The complex flavours that aroused within the deceivingly simple outer appearance of the curry, combined with a bold spiciness made for something which Sumire didn’t ever want to stop eating, taking mouthful after mouthful, the occasional squeal of delight escaping from her lips as she devoured her meal.

Scraping the plate clean, she sipped her water briefly. “Thank you for the food, it was delicious!” She complimented, a genuine smile on her face.

With a small laugh, Sojiro turned away, hiding his smile. “Turns out you do have good taste after all.” Glancing at the clock next to the TV, he turned back to Sumire. “It’s time for you to go. Good luck at school.”

“Yes, thank you again!” Sumire stood up, bowing before heading towards the door.

As her hand touched the metal handle, Sojiro called out. “Oh yeah, and flip the sign outside to ‘Open’ for me.”

“Yes, Boss!” Sumire replied, cheerfully, pulling the door open, hearing the small bell jingling as it moved, and flipping the sign as she went, leaving the door to close on its own.

Heading to her right, she retraced her footsteps from when she’d initially come to Yongen-Jaya, heading towards the station. She didn’t have the luxury of riding the escalator down like she had done going to the surface only a few days ago, so she slowly wandered down the stairs, weaving through the crowd to reach the platform.

As the silver and red train arrived, its doors opening automatically, she stepped on, immediately noting how all the seats seemed to be taken already. Reaching up for one of the hanging handles so she wouldn’t fall over once the train started moving. Feeling the momentum of the vehicle take over as the train headed towards its destination, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, taking a glance at the daily news.

Some news about the accident from yesterday was the main headline – apparently, over eighty people had been injured in the derailment, but fortunately, by some miracle, there were no casualties. The engineer, according to the article, appeared to be speaking on tongues, making no sense in the interrogation.

Recalling what she’d heard on the train ride to Tokyo the other day, Sumire began to wonder whether this was a ‘mental shutdown’ as those other girls had mentioned, or whether it was another coincidence.  
Well, not like she could do anything about it, anyway.

Hearing the trains’ brakes squeaking, Sumire felt a sudden lurch as the train screeched to a halt, the doors opening as the people exited the confined space, falling into line as they all turned to their right, heading up the stairs. Sumire, herself, also followed the crowd, knowing she would need to transfer to be able to get to school. If memory suited, her, she would need to head to the same area as where she’d come from when she initially arrived, but only one floor lower.

Scanning her train pass on the gate, she passed through the underground passageway, climbing the stairs she’d ran down only a few days prior, reaching the main plaza of Shibuya. Glancing up, she noticed that the clouds were looking particularly overcast, and rather grey at that. She cursed internally, hoping that it wouldn’t rain – she hadn’t brought an umbrella, after all.

Glancing around, she noticed some other Shujin students heading towards the Ginza line, the same destination as herself. Falling in line with them and scanning her pass once again, she waited at the platform for the train to arrive, idly twirling a strand of hair around her finger. The students just seemed to keep coming, she noted, causing her to wonder how large a school Shujin really was. She’d seen the school herself, of course, but she didn’t know how many students it hosted.

Feeling the platform rumble slightly, she looked down the line, seeing a yellow train approaching. Standing at the back of the line, she awaited the doors opening as the other students filed into the yellow mechanical beast, finding a space for herself next to one of the windows. As the students and adults continued to arrive and the space inside the train became more and more cramped, she slipped off her bag and held it to her chest, making more room, however minute it may have been.

As the train began moving to its destination of Aoyama-Itchome, Sumire leaned against the wall to her right, staring out the window for some minor form of entertainment to distract her from how cramped she felt. Leaving the sheltered station, droplets of rain began to run along the glass surface, causing the redhead to scowl. Just her luck, it seemed. However, shaking her head, she wiped her scowl off her face, trying to remain positive, hoping that the rain would subside by the time her train arrive.

Several minutes later, the train pulled to a stop, the yellow doors slid open as an automated voice spoke over the speakers. “Aoyama-Itchome, this is Aoyama-Itchome.” It announced, dully. Adjusting her bag in her arms, Sumire followed the crowd and stepped out onto the platform, taking a deep breath. It hadn’t been anywhere near as hot as the other day, but with so many people crowded into such a small area, the staleness of the air was starting to get to her. 

Pulling her train pass out of her bag, she scanned it over the gate, heading through the station and up the stairs.  
Arriving at the top of the stairs, she stopped, her eyes wide. Not only had the rain not stopped, it seemed to be coming down much harder than before. Realising that there would be many people behind her any second now, she dashed over towards the front of a nearby shop, sheltering in the cover it offered. Looking downward, she sighed to herself, watching the cherry blossoms swirl around in the puddles forming from the sheer downpour of water. Wanting to check the time, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, only to be met with an irritatingly familiar sight.

The app she’d deleted so many times now was back, once again.

Much like the first time she’d seen it, it expanded, covering her screen in the recognisable red and black hue, the background of the app appearing to be flowing like an eerie liquid. Narrowing her eyes at the sight, she exhaled, irritated. It seemed she definitely had picked up a virus somewhere – that was one expense she didn’t want to have to deal with.

Spotting movement out of the corner of her eye, she glanced upwards, spotting a hooded figure walking towards her before stopping to her left. A quick glance told her that this person was definitely female – the trademark Shujin skirt jutted out from beneath her hoodie, a bright pair of red tights covered her legs, and the Shujin blazer covered the majority of her hoodie.

Wiping some excess water off her shoulders, the woman lifted her hands up to the hood, pulling the fabric off her head, letting her hair fall loosely onto her shoulders. Large, blond and curly twin ponytails adorned her shoulders, her gleaming blue eyes looking up to the sun. A small piercing could be seen on her ear, hiding behind a tuft of hair as she sighed with relief.

Blinking, the girl turned to Sumire, causing the redhead to just now realise she’d been staring like a lunatic at this fellow student.

“A-ah, good morning!” Sumire stuttered with a small bow, still holding her phone in her hand.

“Mornin’.” The blond replied with a small smile before she looked out from their shared refuge, wondering when the rain would stop.

A white car pulled up to the side of the road in front of them, the window rolling down to reveal a middle-aged man with wavy brown hair and an angular chin in the driver’s seat.

“Good morning.” He called out, leaning across the passenger seat to make himself better heard. “You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.” It was clear to the redhead that he was speaking to the girl next to her, rather than to both of them.

The blonde’s eyes narrowed for a second before she nodded. “Um, sure. Thank you.” She replied softly, stepping through the downpour towards the white car.

As she approached, the man turned his gaze to Sumire. “Do you need a lift too?” He asked, a notable sultry undertone in his voice that sent shivers down her spine.

Raising her hand gently, she shook her head, her red hair flicking as she did so. As the blond closed the door and put on her seatbelt, the window began to go up by itself, revealing Sumire’s reflection. However, before the inside of the car sealed itself off from the outside world, Sumire couldn’t help but notice the pained expression that was present on the blonde girls’ face.

What could that have been about?

The car pulled off, heading towards Shujin as the sound of rapid footsteps through puddles echoed through the street, causing the falsely charged girl to turn her head in confusion just in time for the source of the noise to stop just in front of her, his eyes focused solely on the white car that had just took off.

“Dammit…” He cursed, kicking the paved sidewalk. “Screw that pervy teacher.”

“…pervy teacher?” Sumire echoed, getting his attention, with him turning to her with a glare, unbeknownst to what was happening on her phone.

His vibrant blonde hair, more yellow than the blonde girl she’d just met, was what stood out to Sumire the most. His blazer was rather lazily thrown on, completely unbuttoned and showing a yellow t-shirt with a pink star design, the text of “ZOMG!” adorning it. He was clearly a Shujin student… but perhaps not one of the more respected ones.

“…what do you want?” He asked vulgarly, approaching Sumire with his back hunched, his face in a glower. “You plannin’ on ratting me out to Kamoshida?”

“…who?” Sumire asked, dumbfounded.

“Huh?” The blonde boy’s scowl disappeared, a confused expression donning his face. “In that care just now. It was Kamoshida. He does whatever the hell he wants.” He grunted, turning his head to the left. “Who does he think he is – the king of a castle?” Turning back to the redhead, a small smirk appeared. “Don’t you agree?”

“The king of a castle…?” Sumire echoed, confusion not leaving her face. As far as she was aware, this boy was speaking in riddles.

“N-no, I-I mean…” He started, tripping over his own words before he took a quick breath. “Wait, you don’t know Kamoshida?” Confusion arising on his own face now. “Are you for real? You’re from Shujin, right?”

“Ah, yes! I’m transferring today.” Sumire replied happily, finally reaching a topic she could understand with the young man.

“…that explains a couple things.” He admitted, scratching the back of his head before he looked up to the sky. “This rain ain’t too bad. We better hurry up, or we’ll be late.”

“Lead the way… ah, I don’t know your name!” Sumire gasped.

“Eh, no need for formality or nothin’.” He shrugged, turning on his heel towards the school. “I’m Ryuji Sakamoto, a second year.”

“I’m Sumire Yoshizawa, also a second year.” She replied, a small smile on her face. “It’s a pleasure, Sakamoto-kun!”

He hummed in response, stepping forward with his left foot, faltering slightly for a second before he got into his stride, with Sumire following.

Unbeknownst to the two second years, the phone in Sumire’s hand suddenly flared to life, a small message appearing on the screen.

“Beginning navigation.”


End file.
